Home Office

Knives: Crime

Sarah Owen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many recorded incidents of knife crime there have been in each year from 2010.

Sarah Owen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many recorded incidents of knife crime have taken place (a) involving under 18 year olds and (b) in schools in each year since 2010.

Kit Malthouse: Information on the number of selected offences involving knives or sharp instruments recorded by the police in England and Wales can be found in the Home Office Knife Crime Open Data Tables published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-recorded-crime-open-data-tables While the Home Office collects data on the number of selected offences involving a knife or sharp instrument, it does not contain details on the age of those involved or whether the offence took place in a school.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Claire Hanna: To  the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 28 January 2020 to Question 6772 on Devolution: Northern Ireland, what steps she is taking to ensure that immigration status offered to family members of people in Northern Ireland will not reduce the rights conferred under EEA regulations.

Claire Hanna: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to her Answer of 28 January 2020 to Question 6772 on Devolution: Northern Ireland, whether the immigration route to be offered to the family members of people in Northern Ireland will come into force before the end of the transition period.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office intends to change the Immigration Rules to enable eligible family members of the people of Northern Ireland to apply for UK immigration status on broadly the same terms as the family members of Irish citizens in the UK. This route will be opened in the near future.Any rights held by such individuals by virtue of the Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2016 will be unaffected by the implementation of this route.

Welsh Extremism and Counter Terrorism Unit

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what additional resources have been provided to the Welsh Extremism and Counter Terrorism Unit to tackle extreme right-wing organisations in the last 12 months.

James Brokenshire: In 2020-21 the Government is increasing funding for counter-terrorism policing by £90m year-on-year, taking CT police funding for England and Wales to over £900m.The Government is committed to supporting our superb police, security and intelligence agencies who work round the clock to keep us safe. Since March 2017, the police and the security and intelligence agencies have foiled 25 Terrorist plots, including eight extreme right-wing plots.For security reasons we do not disclose the breakdown of counter-terrorism police funding to individual forces.

Asylum: Finance

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to extend the contract with Sodexo for the provision of Aspen cards to asylum seekers.

Chris Philp: A new supplier will provide payment card services following transition from the current provider, Sodexo. Timelines are currently being finalised.

Asylum: Human Trafficking

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average waiting time is for a decision on an asylum case where the asylum seeker claims to have been a potential victim of human trafficking in the latest period for which figures are available.

Chris Philp: The Home Office does not publish data on the average waiting time for a decision on an asylum case where the asylum seeker claims to have been a potential victim of trafficking.However, the Home Office does publish data on the number asylum applications awaiting an initial decision by duration. This data can be found at Asy_04, of the published Immigration Statistics September 2019: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-year-ending-september-2019/list-of-tables#asylum-and-resettlement The Home Office are committed to ensuring that asylum claims are considered without unnecessary delay, to ensure that individuals who need protection are granted asylum as soon as possible and can start to integrate and rebuild their lives, including those granted at appeal.Whilst we take steps to increase capacity and focus on process improvements to deliver better quality decisions more efficiently, we have moved away from the 6-month service standard to concentrate on older claims, cases with acute vulnerability and those in receipt of the greatest level of support, including Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children (UASC). Additionally, we are prioritising cases where an individual has already received a decision, but a reconsideration is required. The intention is for this approach to bring balance back to the asylum system.

Domestic Abuse: LGBT People

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many dedicated specialist local services there are for LGBT+ victims and survivors of domestic abuse in England and Wales; and how many victims those services support each year.

Victoria Atkins: While the Home Office has provided over £980,000 of funding to specialist LGBT+ organisations for the provision of domestic abuse services between 2016 and 2020, information on the total number of dedicated local services in England and Wales for LGBT+ victims and survivors of domestic abuse is not held centrally.The DA Commissioner has however agreed to seek to survey and get a better understanding of local DA service provision in her new role.

Terrorism: Prisoners' Release

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to Operation of Police Powers under the Terrorism Act 2000, quarterly updates, Table P.05, how many offenders convicted under terrorism and terrorism related offences, excluding anyone serving a sentence of less than one year, were released before serving the full custodial term of their sentence in each year since 2013.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office collects data from Her Majesty's Prison and Probation Service and the Scottish Prisons Service on the number of terrorist prisoners released from prison custody, by length of sentence. However, data is not collected on whether the prisoner was released before serving the full custodial term of their sentence.The requested information is held in individual prisoner records, is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.Last month, following the attack in Streatham, the Government took decisive action by introducing emergency legislation to prevent terrorist offenders being released early automatically, and ensure that the release of any such offender before the end of their sentence will be dependent on a thorough risk assessment by the Parole Board. On 26 February, the legislation received Royal Assent and the Terrorist Offenders (Restriction of Early Release) Act 2020 came into force.National security is the first priority of this Government and we are determined to ensure that dangerous terrorists are not free to spread their hateful ideologies or harm the public.

Immigration: Wales

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has conducted an impact assessment of the potential short-term effects of the Government's  immigration policy on the Welsh economy.

Kevin Foster: The Government published “The UK’s Points-Based System: Policy Statement” on 19 February, follwing the report of independent Migration Advisory Committee in January.The Migration Advisory Committee advised against regional variations, hence we will deliver a system which works for the whole of the UK.In delivering on its manifesto commitments for a Austrialian style new points-based system, the Government has considered relevant views, evidence, and analysis. We will also keep labour market data under careful scrutiny.The Home Office will publish further detail on the points-based system in due course and will continue to engage with stakeholders across Wales on it.

Immigration: Music

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that immigration rules support the needs of the music industry.

Kevin Foster: Non EEA visiting artists, entertainers and musicians can currently perform at events, take part in competitions and auditions, make personal appearances and take part in promotional activities for up to 6 months without the need for formal sponsorship or a work visa. They can also receive payment for appearances at permit free festivals for up to 6 months, or for up to one month for a specific engagement, under the Visitor route.In future Artists wishing to come to the UK for longer-term work will need to do so under the points-based system. Under this system there will continue to be special arrangements for creative workers, which in future will encompass both EEA and non-EEA citizens.The Home Office continues to engage with the creative sector to ensure the future system will enable the UK’s cultural life to thrive.

Immigration Controls: Scotland

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential effects on the health and social care sector in Scotland of the Government's proposed implementation of a points-based immigration system.

Kevin Foster: The Government published “The UK’s Points-Based System: Policy Statement” on 19 February.The new system will ensure we can attract the brightest and best and deliver for the whole of the UK, whilst protecting our union.To facilitate the migration of skilled workers to support the NHS, we will create a fast-track NHS visa for certain medical professionals with NHS job offers – reducing their visa fees and providing support to come to the UK with their families.Senior care workers who meet the criteria will be able to come to the UK through the points-based system.The independent Migration Advisory Committee’s (MAC) has been clear immigration is not the solution to addressing staffing levels in the social care sector.In delivering on its manifesto commitments for a new Australian style points-based system, the Government has considered relevant views, evidence, and analysis. We will also keep labour market data under careful scrutiny.The Home Office will publish further detail on the points-based system in due course.

Immigration: Scotland

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has undertaken an impact assessment of the potential short-term effects of the proposed immigration policy on the Scottish economy.

Kevin Foster: The Government published “The UK’s Points-Based System: Policy Statement” on 19 February.The new system will ensure we can attract the brightest and best and deliver for the whole of the UK, whilst protecting our union.To facilitate the migration of skilled workers to support the NHS, we will create a fast-track NHS visa for certain medical professionals with NHS job offers – reducing their visa fees and providing support to come to the UK with their families.Senior care workers who meet the criteria will be able to come to the UK through the points-based system.The independent Migration Advisory Committee’s (MAC) has been clear immigration is not the solution to addressing staffing levels in the social care sector.In delivering on its manifesto commitments for a new Australian style points-based system, the Government has considered relevant views, evidence, and analysis. We will also keep labour market data under careful scrutiny.The Home Office will publish further detail on the points-based system in due course.

Offensive Weapons Act 2019

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to consult with businesses on the potential effect of the Offensive Weapons Act 2019 prior to its implementation.

Victoria Atkins: We held a public consultation on the draft statutory guidance on measures in the Offensive Weapons Act, which included the sale and delivery of bladed articles, bladed products and corrosives from the 15th August 2019 to the 9th October 2019. The responses to that consultation have been considered and we will shortly be publishing the Government response alongside final statutory guidance ahead of commencement of the measures in the Act.

Places of Worship Security Funding Scheme

Claudia Webbe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans the Government has to ensure equitable access to security funding for religious institutions.

Claudia Webbe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to ensure equitable access to security funding for places of worship.

Kit Malthouse: All places of worship, other than the Jewish community, have access to the Places of Worship Scheme that funds protective security measures to counter hate crime. The Jewish community has access to separate funding that was put in place following a series of terrorist attacks against Jews and Jewish targets in Europe. The Government regularly considers the range of threats to our places of worship from hate crime.

Migrant Workers: Veterinary Services

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many veterinary practices are registered as Tier 2 employers.

Kevin Foster: The specific information that has been requested is not included in data published by the Home Office, and would require manual intervention at disproportionate cost to the taxpayer produce this data.

Alcoholic Drinks: Minimum Prices

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of minimum unit pricing on alcohol policy in (a) Scotland and (b) Wales; and what plans she has to bring forward legislative proposals to introduce a similar policy for England.

Kit Malthouse: Minimum Unit Price (MUP) has been in place in Scotland for less than two years and the Scottish Parliament will not consider its extension until 2024. MUP was introduced in Wales on 2 March this year. A decision on its introduction in England is for the future.

European Arrest Warrants

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to establish a replacement scheme for the European Arrest Warrant after the transition period.

James Brokenshire: The European Arrest Warrant is an EU tool used exclusively by EU Member States. We have left the EU. In the future our relationship will be fundamentally different to that of a Member State.The Government stands ready to discuss an agreement with the EU on law enforcement and judicial cooperation in criminal matters. As set out in our approach to negotiations, the agreement should provide for fast-track extradition arrangements with appropriate further safeguards beyond those provided for in the European Arrest Warrant. Such an agreement should equip operational partners on both sides with the capabilities that help protect citizens and bring criminals to justice.

Europol

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has for cooperation and access to Europol for police services in the UK after the transition period.

James Brokenshire: As set out in the UK’s approach to negotiations, published on 27 February, the UK is not seeking membership of Europol as part of the future relationship agreement with the EU, however the agreement should provide for cooperation between the UK and Europol which facilitates multilateral cooperation to tackle serious and organised crime and terrorism.Europol already works closely with a number of non-EU countries through dedicated third country arrangements. The agreement on Europol could go beyond existing precedents given the scale and nature of cooperation between the UK and Europol.

Electronic Surveillance

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) Technical Capability Notices and (b) National Security Notices have been issued in each year since 2016.

James Brokenshire: The Investigatory Powers Act 2016 allows the Government to place obligations on telecommunications operators or postal operators through a Technical Capability Notice or National Security Notice.The Act governs these notices and provides extensive privacy safeguards and a robust oversight regime, including approval of notices by an independent Judicial Commissioner.For reasons of national security, it would be not be appropriate to disclose the number of Technical Capability Notices and National Security Notices issued.

Fire and Rescue Services: Finance

Alberto Costa: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of funding provided to (a) Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service and (b) other fire and rescue services in the UK.

James Brokenshire: In 2020/21, Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Authority will receive £36.1 million in core spending power. This is an increase of £1.2 million (3.5%) compared with 2019/20. In addition, at March 2018, the authority held £13.8 million in resource reserves.Fire and rescue services in England have the resources they need to do their important work and will receive around £2.3 billion in 2020/21. Single purpose fire and rescue authorities will see an increase in core spending power of 3.2% in cash terms since 2019/20. At March 2018 single purpose Fire and Rescue Authorities held £545 million in resource reserves.

Fire and Rescue Services: Floods

Alberto Costa: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans his Department has to impose a statutory duty on the fire service in England to respond to flooding.

James Brokenshire: I refer my Hon Friend to the answer I gave to UIN 1261 on 24 February 2020 to the Hon Member for Cardiff Central.

Fire and Rescue Services: Mental Health Services

Alberto Costa: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps her Department has taking to improve the quality of mental health support provision for firefighters.

James Brokenshire: It is the responsibility of each fire and rescue authority in England to ensure that they have appropriate workforce support and wellbeing provisions in place and the National Fire Chiefs’ Council’s Health and Wellbeing Board is driving positive change across the sector.In support of this the Government has provided £7m since 2014, to fund emergency services workers’ mental health support through Mind’s Blue Light Programme.

Motor Vehicles: Fires

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment his Department has made of the ability of fire authorities to respond to fires in (a) electric and (b) hydrogen vehicles.

James Brokenshire: It is the responsibility of each fire and rescue authority to determine their operational response based on its analysis of risk and local circumstances, and drawing on national operational guidance provided by the National Fire Chiefs Council.

Bombings: Guildford

Colum Eastwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reason her Department has reclassified more than 600 files relating to the 1974 Provisional IRA Guildford pub bombings resulting in some files remaining closed for an additional 84 to 100 years.

James Brokenshire: These files have not been reclassified. The files were held as a single collection with a closed status at The National Archives and a review date of 2019.Following review of the files, it was decided that it was necessary to apply to extend the closure periods. The Freedom of Information Act exemptions engaged can be found by searching individual records at: http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C3043

Licensing Laws: Aviation

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to publish her Department's response to the consultation on airside alcohol licensing at international airports in England and Wales, which closed on 1 February 2019.

Kit Malthouse: I plan to publish my Department’s response to the consultation on airside alcohol licensing shortly.

Entertainers: EEA Nationals

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what qualitative data her Department (a) holds and (b) has commissioned on the benefits of Tier 5 Visa rules for EEA musicians and artistic performers to the UK music industry.

Kevin Foster: Overseas musicians and performers make an important contribution to the UK's creative sector and remain welcome in the UK and take part in events.Our existing arrangements provide a number of routes for creatives to enter the UK and undertake work on a temporary basis. The Home Office continues to engage with the creative sector to ensure the future points-based immigration system will enable the UK’s cultural life to thrive.

Knife Crime Prevention Orders: Greater London

Sarah Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that the trial in London of the Knife Crime Prevention Orders does not result in an increase in the number of 12 year olds being criminalised.

Kit Malthouse: Knife Crime Prevention Orders have been introduced as a preventative civil measure to give the police the powers they need to prevent and tackle serious violence and knife crime. Given the seriousness of the issue, the Offensive Weapons Act 2019 makes breach of an Order a criminal offence.Knife Crime Prevention Orders will be piloted in London and will be available to the courts to be applied to persons from age 12 upwards. The purpose of these Orders is to prevent those who are subject to them – those who are identified as being particularly at risk – from being drawn into knife crime and serious violence, through the inclusion of positive requirements and restrictions that can be attached to an Order. This will help more young people to avoid being drawn into violent lifestyles and serious offending.Knife Crime Prevention Orders that apply to those under 18 years of age will be subject to more scrutiny and oversight than those issued to adults and will be subject to consultation with the relevant Youth Offending Team. The Government will shortly be publishing guidance on Knife Crime Prevention Orders which will set out the specific considerations that must be given to children and young people in applying these new Orders.The Government is determined to tackle serious violence, and to give the police the powers and resources they need to do this. The piloting of Knife Crime Prevention Orders in London is an important part of the action we are taking.

Grenfell Tower Inquiry

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry phase 1 report, which Department is responsible for implementing the recommendations in that report; what the implementation status is of each such recommendation; and what the planned timescale is for implementing each of those recommendations.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office is working collaboratively with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, the Fire and Rescue Sector and all relevant stakeholders to deliver Grenfell Tower Inquiry phase 1 recommendations with quality, pace and ambition.The Government published an update on delivery on 21 January and continues to make progress. As announced in the Queen’s Speech, we will shortly introduce a Fire Safety Bill, a necessary first step towards implementation of the Inquiry’s recommendations

Home Office: Disclosure of Information

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many inquiries into leaks of confidential Departmental information her Department has carried out in each of the last five years.

James Brokenshire: The leak of any Government information or material is not acceptable and the Government takes such incidents very seriously.It has been the policy of successive Governments not to comment on security matters other than in exceptional circumstances.

Terrorism: Islam

Zarah Sultana: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effect on the risk of terrorist attacks on UK mosques of the (a) 12 recent arrests for terrorism offences and (b) events in Hanau in Germany.

James Brokenshire: Counter Terrorism Policing routinely reviews the threat to all our communities in light of events in the UK and elsewhere, assessing all relevant intelligence reporting. In light of this, appropriate action is taken to ensure the safety of all faith communities.The Government’s Places of Worship Protective Security Funding Scheme continues to provide funding to reassure communities and safeguard mosques and other places of worship. The scheme will provide £3.2 million in 2020-21 (double the amount awarded previously), and in addition a new £5 million fund will be opened to provide security training.

Places of Worship Security Funding Scheme

Zarah Sultana: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many places of worship have made unsuccessful applications for funding from the Places of Worship Security Funding scheme in each category of place of worship in (a) England and (b) Wales.

Zarah Sultana: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many of each category of place of worship have applied for funding through the Places of Worship Security Funding scheme in (a) England and (b) Wales.

Kit Malthouse: Over the first three years, the Places of Worship scheme has received 431 applications in total. Of the applications received, 134 were successful and 297 were unsuccessful.In England, there have been 253 applications from Christian communities, 108 applications from Muslim communities, 19 applications from Hindu communities, 34 applications from Sikh communities and 1 application from Jain communities.Of those applications, there have been 193 unsuccessful applications from Christian communities, 60 unsuccessful applications from Muslim communities, 14 unsuccessful applications from Hindu communities, 17 unsuccessful applications from Sikh communities, and 1 unsuccessful application from Jain communities.In Wales, there have been 14 applications from Christian communities, 1 application from Muslim communities, 1 application from Hindu communities and 0 applications from Sikh and Jain communities.

Overseas Visitors: Coronavirus

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what support will be provided to non-EEA nationals who are at risk of over-staying their short term visas as a result of self isolating in response to covid-19.

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Corona virus (Covid-19) immigration guidance on travel restrictions and China, published by her Department on 17 February 2020, if she will extend that guidance to other non-EEA countries that have isolation measures in place.

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that foreign nationals will not be regarded as breaking their continuity of residence where their continued absence from the UK results from a restriction on international travel due to covid-19.

Kevin Foster: Due to travel restrictions because of coronavirus, some individuals may be facing uncertainty in relation to the expiry date of their current visa or leave to remain in the United Kingdom. We are taking steps to ensure foreign nationals will not be regarded as breaking their continuity of residence as a result of coronavirus and related travel restrictions.Visas for Chinese nationals which were due to expire between 21st January and 30 March 2020 have already been automatically extended until 31 March 2020. We continue to monitor the situation in all countries and we are keeping this under constant review. A dedicated coronavirus immigration helpline https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-advice-for-uk-visa-applicants-and-temporary-uk-residents#helpline has been set up for those who wish to discuss their circumstances. The freephone number is 0800 678 1767 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm).

Home Office: Written Questions

Colum Eastwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to respond to Question 25212 tabled on 4 March 2020 by the hon. Member for Foyle.

James Brokenshire: The response for UIN 25212 was given on the 6th April 2020.

Department for Education

Free School Meals: Coronavirus

Christian Wakeford: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the supermarket vouchers that his Department has announced will be offered to children eligible for free school meals during school closures will cover the costs of breakfast.

Vicky Ford: While schools are closed to the majority of pupils, they are able to provide meals or vouchers to children who are eligible for benefits-related free school meals. More information can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-free-school-meals-guidance.In addition to this, we are working to consider options to support children who currently receive a free breakfast through the department’s contract with Family Action and Magic Breakfast. Family Action with Magic Breakfast will liaise directly with the schools involved in the programme.

Nurseries: Coronavirus

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what financial assistance is being provided to nurseries advised to close due to the covid-19 outbreak; and what assurances he has received from insurers on providing cover to nurseries despite that infection not being a named disease at the time of cover.

Vicky Ford: We are working hard to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19 on all parts of our society, including individuals and businesses.Whilst individual insurance arrangements are a matter for providers to discuss with their insurers and we are unable to give legal advice on insurance cover, we understand that in many cases, the insurance that early years providers have will not cover them for income lost during COVID-19 related closures. That is one of the reasons why we announced on 17 March that we will continue to pay funding to local authorities for the early years entitlements for 2, 3 and 4-year-olds and that funding would not be clawed back from local authorities when children are unable to attend due to COVID-19.We expect local authorities to follow the Department for Education’s position and to continue paying all childminders, schools and nurseries, for the early years entitlements – even if providers have suspended delivery of those entitlements due to COVID-19. This protects a significant proportion of early years providers’ income. The government also announced a 12 month business rates holiday for private nurseries and set out a range of wider support for businesses and workers to reduce the impact of COVID-19, which many early years providers will benefit from.We will be keeping under close review what further support businesses and workers may require.Guidance on closures of early years settings, including support for workers and businesses, is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-early-years-and-childcare-closures/coronavirus-covid-19-early-years-and-childcare-closures#funding.

Free School Meals: Coronavirus

Sir George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the national voucher scheme offered to children eligible for free school meals during school closures will include support to cover the costs of breakfast.

Vicky Ford: While schools are closed to the majority of pupils, they are able to provide meals or vouchers to children who are eligible for benefits-related free school meals. More information can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-free-school-meals-guidance.In addition to this, we are working to consider options to support children who currently receive a free breakfast through the department’s contract with Family Action and Magic Breakfast. Family Action with Magic Breakfast will liaise directly with the schools involved in the programme.

Children: Day Care

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support nursery and childcare providers can receive as a result of the packages of economic support he has announced over the last two weeks.

Vicky Ford: The government has set out specific measures to support childcare providers during the COVID-19 outbreak:Funding for the government’s early years entitlements will continue during any periods of nursery, preschool or childminder closures or when children cannot attendTo support private nurseries at this time, the Chancellor of the Exchequer has also announced that they will be eligible for a business rates holiday for one year from 1 April  Childcare providers will also benefit from the wider measures the Chancellor of the Exchequer has announced to support the people and businesses of the UK:A three-point plan announced in the Budget providing £12 billion of support for public services, individuals and businesses whose finances are affected by the outbreakA package to provide additional support for businesses and individuals totalling £350 billionThe Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to help firms continue to keep people in employment. This means that businesses can put workers on temporary leave and the government will pay them cash grants of 80% of their wages up to a cap of £2,500, providing they keep the worker employedA scheme to help the UK’s self-employed who are affected by the coronavirus outbreak. The new Self-Employed Income Support Scheme will enable those eligible to receive a cash grant worth 80% of their average monthly trading profit over the last three years. This covers 95% of people who receive the majority of their income from self-employmentOn 28 March, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Alok Sharma, announced that the government will also temporarily suspend the wrongful trading provisions to give company directors greater confidence to use their best endeavours to continue trading during this pandemic emergency, without the threat of personal liability should the company ultimately fall into insolvency  The government is also providing the following additional support:deferral of Self-Assessment income tax payments due in July 2020 and VAT payments due between 20 March 2020 and 30 June 2020grants for businesses that pay little or no business ratesincreased amounts of Universal Creditthe Coronavirus Bussiness Interruption Loan Scheme The latest guidance from the department for early years and childcare providers can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-early-years-and-childcare-closures/coronavirus-covid-19-early-years-and-childcare-closures.

Childminding: Coronavirus

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to support childminders' businesses during the covid-19 outbreak.

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to support childminders during the covid-19 outbreak.

Vicky Ford: The government has set out specific measures to support childcare providers during the COVID-19 outbreak:Funding for the government’s early years entitlements will continue during any periods of nursery, preschool or childminder closures or when children cannot attendTo support private nurseries at this time, the Chancellor of the Exchequer has also announced that they will be eligible for a business rates holiday for one year from 1 April Childcare providers will also benefit from the wider measures the Chancellor of the Exchequer has announced to support the people and businesses of the UK:A three-point plan announced in the Budget providing £12 billion of support for public services, individuals and businesses whose finances are affected by the outbreakA package to provide additional support for businesses and individuals totalling £350 billionThe Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to help firms continue to keep people in employment. This means that businesses can put workers on temporary leave and the government will pay them cash grants of 80% of their wages up to a cap of £2,500, providing they keep the worker employedA scheme to help the UK’s self-employed who are affected by the coronavirus outbreak. The new Self-Employed Income Support Scheme will enable those eligible to receive a cash grant worth 80% of their average monthly trading profit over the last three years. This covers 95% of people who receive the majority of their income from self-employmentOn 28 March, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Alok Sharma, announced that the government will also temporarily suspend the wrongful trading provisions to give company directors greater confidence to use their best endeavours to continue trading during this pandemic emergency, without the threat of personal liability should the company ultimately fall into insolvency The government is also providing the following additional support:deferral of Self-Assessment income tax payments due in July 2020 and VAT payments due between 20 March 2020 and 30 June 2020grants for businesses that pay little or no business ratesincreased amounts of Universal Creditthe Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme The latest guidance from the department for early years and childcare providers can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-early-years-and-childcare-closures/coronavirus-covid-19-early-years-and-childcare-closures.

Universities: Coronavirus

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what his policy is on universities charging accommodation fees for students while they are closed as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.

Michelle Donelan: We expect universities to communicate clearly with residential students on rents for this period and administer accommodation provision in a fair manner. I have written to vice-chancellors and set out this expectation to them.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Charities and Non-governmental Organisations: Coronavirus

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Government is taking to support liquidity in the charity and NGO sectors during the covid-19 outbreak.

Mr John Whittingdale: DCMS recognises that, like those in the private sector, charities are under significant strain as a result of Covid-19. The measures already announced by the Government will support many charities to manage the financial challenges presented by the current emergency.We are proactively engaging across the sector, to maintain a complete picture of the impact of coronavirus, and working to identify how government can help support the sector through this time of financial instability. Further information will be released on gov.uk as and when it is available.

Department of Health and Social Care

Coronavirus: Medical Equipment

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many pods designed for testing for covid-19 have been (a) acquired and (b) delivered to NHS units; and how many delivered pods are (i) in use or (ii) not yet in use.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Holding answer received on 13 March 2020



The number of pods acquired and commissioned into use is increasing daily. Testing more broadly is increasing at a rapid rate and as of 23 March, a total of 83,945 have been tested with 77,295 being negative and 6,650 testing positive.Most adults in good health who develop symptoms will fully recover, and the Chief Medical Officer has advised that we need to prioritise testing to those who have the greatest clinical need. Both key workers - such as health workers - and clinically high priority cases will be prioritised.

Coronavirus: Screening

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many tests for covid-19 per day UK-based laboratories can carry out (a) now and (b) at peak capacity.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Holding answer received on 16 March 2020



The National Health Service with Public Health England (PHE) is undertaking a significant expansion of coronavirus testing, with enhanced labs helping the health service carry out 10,000 tests daily.PHE has developed a highly sensitive test to detect the virus, one of the first countries in the world to do so, which has been rapidly rolled out to their regional labs across the country.Approximately 1,500 tests are being processed every day at PHE labs with the great majority of tests being turned around within 24 hours. PHE has processed over 25,000 tests as of 10 March and has not exceeded capacity during this time.As more people come forward to be tested, the NHS is now scaling up tests by 500%, with NHS England asking expert NHS laboratory services across the country to bring new capacity online, and other labs to begin checks, enabling 8,000 more samples to be analysed every day of the week.As announced on 27 March, the Government is working with industry, philanthropy and universities to significantly scale up testing.

Coronavirus: Screening

Andrea Jenkyns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what testing criteria Public Health England is applying for the testing of potential covid-19 cases; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of widening that testing criteria so that higher numbers of people are so tested.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Holding answer received on 16 March 2020



Details on case definitions are available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/wuhan-novel-coronavirus-initial-investigation-of-possible-cases/investigation-and-initial-clinical-management-of-possible-cases-of-wuhan-novel-coronavirus-wn-cov-infection#criteriaThe Stay at Home Guidance states that Public Health England will not be testing people with mild symptoms of COVID-19. Those with mild symptoms are advised to self-isolate and stay at home for seven days from the onset of the relevant symptoms of a new continuous cough and a high temperature. Therefore, people do not need to be tested to act. The guidance is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance/stay-at-home-guidance-for-people-with-confirmed-or-possible-coronavirus-covid-19-infection

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Yvette Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how the Government will estimate (a) the level of prevalence of and (b) rates of infection and immunity to covid-19 if symptomatic patients are not tested.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The levels of prevalence and rates of infection are calculated based on laboratory confirmed cases. Public Health England (PHE) conducts surveillance of COVID-19 infection using a variety of data sources.These include surveillance of influenza-like illness presenting to primary care, surveillance of outbreaks in schools, care homes and other community settings. PHE and the National Health Service have also established a surveillance system that reports daily on COVID-19 infections in persons requiring hospital and intensive care admissions.Plans are in place for serological surveillance to collect data on the prevalence of infection as the outbreak progresses. This will involve the testing of samples from different sources to inform the epidemiological characterisation of COVID-19 immunity in the population.

Coronavirus: Screening

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when testing for covid-19 will be made available for members of the public who are not hospitalised.

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he will introduce covid-19 testing for front line NHS and emergency service workers when they show symptoms for covid-19.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Holding answer received on 19 March 2020



The United Kingdom has tested more people than almost any other major economy outside of China, South Korea, Germany and Italy.We have boosted the number of labs undertaking testing while home testing and drive-through testing is also available in some areas.We have increased the number of tests to 5,000 a day and it reached over 10,000 on 1 April.Both key workers - such as health workers - and clinically high priority cases will be prioritised for testing.

Coronavirus: Screening

Mr Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the UK leaving the UK on the (a) ability of and (b) speed with which testing kits for covid-19 can be imported.

Ms Nadine Dorries: We are not aware of any restrictions to the access to or delivery of COVID-19 testing kits relating to the United Kingdom’s departure from the European Union.Following the UK’s departure from the EU on 31 January 2020, the UK has entered into a transition period until December 2020. Under this arrangement, the supply of medicines and medical products, including testing kits for COVID-19, should continue to flow as previously.The Government is in negotiation with the EU regarding our future relationship and will work with companies over the coming months to ensure that they are well prepared for the end of the transition period. Following this process, medicines and medical products should continue to enter and exit the UK with minimal restrictions.

Coronavirus: Screening

Mr Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the number of covid-19 testing kits it will require during the next eight weeks.

Ms Nadine Dorries: We plan to increase testing to 10,000 a day (up from 5,000 a day). Within four weeks, Public Health England and the National Health Service expect to be conducting 25,000 tests a day – and we will continue to increase testing capacity.

Coronavirus: Screening

Mr Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many covid-19 testing kits his Department currently has in stock.

Ms Nadine Dorries: United Kingdom supplies are adequate for projected domestic needs. The National Health Service will be given all the resources it needs to deal with this outbreak.We plan to increase testing to 10,000 a day (up from 5,000 a day). Within four weeks, Public Health England and the NHS expect to be conducting 25,000 tests a day – and we will continue to increase testing capacity.

NHS 111

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many calls were made to NHS 111 in the week beginning 9 March 2020; and how many callers waited over one hour for their calls to be answered.

Edward Argar: Holding answer received on 19 March 2020



Data is not available in the format requested. NHS 111 performance is published by NHS England via their statistical work areas on a monthly basis and is available via the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/nhs-111-minimum-data-set/nhs-111-minimum-data-set-2019-20/

Coronavirus: Screening

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the World Health Organisation recommendation of increased testing for covid-19.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Testing is a crucial part of the United Kingdom’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Government is working on multiple fronts to deliver additional testing capacity into the system.We have committed to boosting National Health Service lab-based testing to at least 25,000 a day by the end of April for patients most in need and are working to increase our total testing capacity.By increasing our testing capacity, we can provide better care for the most vulnerable patients across the NHS; help key workers get back to work as soon as possible; and provide certainty and reassurance to the wider UK population.Key worker testing has now started, with hundreds of staff to be tested. This will increase from the end of March and tests will be turned around as quickly as possible.We are also purchasing new types of tests including antigen tests to identify those who currently have the virus, and antibody tests to identify those who have had the virus and are now immune. We are working hard to bring additional tests to those that need them as soon as possible.

NHS: Coronavirus

Olivia Blake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to prioritise covid-19 testing for NHS staff.

Olivia Blake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to test self-isolating healthcare workers for covid-19.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Holding answer received on 23 March 2020



We are purchasing new types of tests including antigen tests to identify those who currently have the virus, and antibody tests to identify those who have had the virus and are now immune. We are working hard to bring additional tests to those that need them as soon as possible. This will ensure that health care and other critical workers can be tested very early on if they are ill – returning to work if possible.We will prioritise testing to those who have the greatest clinical need. Health workers will be prioritised.

Northwick Park Hospital: Coronavirus

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that Northwick Park Hospital is receiving the support it needs to tackle to covid-19 outbreak.

Edward Argar: Northwick Park Hospital is one of a group of hospitals chosen to care for COVID-19 patients.The Government is working around the clock to give the National Health Service and the wider social care sector the equipment and support they need to tackle this outbreak.In the past two weeks, the NHS Supply Chain have delivered 170 million FFP3 masks, surgical masks and other personal protective equipment to NHS trusts and 58,000 healthcare settings including general practitioners, pharmacies and community providers.While this is a new coronavirus, Northwick Park Hospital staff have extensive experience of treating infectious diseases. They also have appropriate facilities designed to provide the best care for patients who have the virus whilst keeping everyone else being treated at Northwick Park Hospital safe.The NHS in London and Public Health England are well prepared for outbreaks of new infectious diseases. The NHS has put in place measures to ensure the safety of all patients and NHS staff while also ensuring services are available to the public as normal.

Hospitals: Private Sector

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of requisitioning private hospitals to help tackle the covid-19 outbreak.

Edward Argar: As announced by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on Saturday 21 March, the National Health Service has struck a deal with private hospitals to acquire thousands of extra beds, ventilators and medical staff to fight the COVID-19 outbreak.An extra 8,000 hospital beds across England, nearly 1,200 ventilators and almost 20,000 fully qualified staff are now available.